Gutter cleaner



Nov. 3, 1959 M. B. MIZELLE 2,910,711

GUTTER CLEANER Filed March 2a, 1958 Merrimond B. Mize/le g 4 INVENTOR B BY United States Patent M This invention relates to a device for cleaning gutters, for example eave troughs and more particularly to a device which may be used by a single individual standing on the ground and reaching the gutters.

The gutter cleaner in accordance with the invention is for the purpose of cleaning gutters in one-story houses where the operator can stand on the ground or some other safe low place and move the cleaner along the gutter and flush it with water. Leaves and other accumulations are propelled by the water pressure toward the down pipe. The accumulation can be washed over the gutter or down the drain depending on the size of the particles.

The gutter cleaner has an elongated handle through which water under pressure is adapted to be conducted. A stilf conduit of any type, preferably lightweight metal or plastic serves the purpose of a handle and conductor. An ordinary garden hose is attached, for example by a coupling, to the lower part of the handle, and there is a special nozzle head at the upper end of the handle that is adapted to seat on the bottom of the gutter as it is moved along at a reasonable rate of speed by the operator. The water under pressure being discharged from the nozzle performs an effective cleaning job on the interior surfaces of the gutter.

The head of the gutter cleaner is of special construction. One end has a nozzle on it while the other end has means for dislodging particles which are incapable of being removed by water pressure alone. These means can be of simple construction, for example a spring with a limited flexure to reach around and over curves and in tight spaces and to effectively agitate the lodged particle so that it can be dislodged and then removed by the water under pressure at the other end of the head.

The nozzle on the spray head is adjustable so that the water can be directed slightly to the right or slightly to the left or straight ahead or higher or lower depending on the desires of the user.

The invention has a valve at the lower end or at an intermediate part of the handle to facilitate the use of the invention by the operator. This valve is optional inasmuch as it will add to the unit cost of the gutter cleaner. stalled therein, while the economy models can omit the valves and depend on the nozzle on the head for water control or on the valve at the water supply.

The chief advantages of this invention are the ease with which the gutters can be cleaned and the speed with which this job can be completed. Moreover, these accomplishments are achieved by an inexpensive, light weight and practical appliance.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved gutter cleaner of the type which a single operator may use when standing below the gutters.

Other objects and features of importance will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a house The more expensive models have the valve in- 2,910,711 Paten'tecl Nov. 3, 195$ that has a gutter being cleaned by a gutter cleaner constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 -2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the head of the gutter cleaner.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

In the accompanying drawing there is a typical gutter 12 that is to be cleaned by a gutter cleaner 14. Cutter 12 schematically represents any elevated gutter such as an eave trough on a bungalow or rambler or on a porch of a taller house. It makes no difference where the gutter is located or what type of gutter is involved. However, the illustrated appliance 14 is chiefly intended for the home owner who has gutters that can be reached conveniently by appliance 14.

The applicance is made of a handle 16 that is sectional. There are sections 18, 20 and 22, although this number of sections can be increased or decreased inasmuch as each section is connected together by a standard coupling 24. Coupling 26 attaches the lowermost section 18 with a garden hose 28. However, if it is found desirable or necessary further sections may be included either at coupling 26 or at one of the couplings 24. Moreover, the length of each section can be varied in accordance with manufacturing desires. Valve 30 is shown in section 18, although this valve could just as easily have been placed in any other section. In addition, the valve 30 is an optional feature andin the more simplified versions of the invention, the valve 30 can be omitted. When. used, valve 30 is selected from the group of con- 'ventional gate or other types of standard valves.

Uppermost section 22 has an approximately U-shaped upper end part 34 with a hose coupling 33 at its extremity. Coupling 38 can be rotated 360, for example, the coupling can be the type that has a hand operated part which can be loosened, the sections of the coupling rotated to the desired relative position, and then tightened in place. The U-shaped part 34 is for the purpose of fitting over the front wall 13 of gutter 12 and enabling the cleaning head 40 to be seated in the gutter 12. Cleaning head 40 has the appearance of a T whose body 42 has a short pipe 44 with which coupling 38 is operatively connected. Accordingly, coupling 38 makes it possible to adjust the head 40 to any angle. It can be turned reversing it so that the gutter cleaner can operate in either direction. The short pipe 46 of the body 42 is connected at right angles to pipe 44 and in communication therewith. The difierence between an ordinary T and T-body 42 is that one end of short pipe 44 has a wall 48 extending across it thereby closing that end of the short pipe 46. The opposite end 50 of the short pipe is opened and is externally or internally threaded. Nozzle tip 52 is threaded on the end 50 of body 42 and has a discharge orifice 54 at an angle to the axis of short pipe 46. In this way the nozzle tip 52 can be rotated to assume various adjusted positions in order to direct the spray in any direction in gutter 12.

There are means for scraping accumulations from the walls of the gutter 12. These means consist of a spring 58 or some other flexible element that protrudes from the rear of the wall 48. The spring flexes slightly and is used by agitating the entire head 40 thereby rubbing the end and/or the part of the spring close to the end over any stubborn accumulation. Thereafter the water spray discharged from tip 52 can be used for flushing the accumulation down the gutter and into the down spout.

A support 60 which can be a projection, short leg or the like, is attached to the body 42 and is adapted to ride on the bottom of the gutter 12 during normal operation. The support 60 acts to establish a known height for the principles of the invention. modifications and changes will readily occur to those nozzle tip 52 and also as a guide and fulcrum by which the appliance can be tilted and guided while it is being manually propelled in either direction as shown by the arrows in Figure 2.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the Further, since numerous skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An eaves trough cleaner comprising: an elongated, vertical tubular handle for the passage of waterunder pressure, said handle including a substantially reversely bent upper end portion engageable in the trough, a substantially T-shaped discharge head on the upper end of the handle operable in the trough, said head including 'a closed end and an open end, a scraping member on the closed end of the head for dislodging accumulations from the trough, and a nozzle on the open end of the head for flushing away the accumulations dislodged by the closed end of the head for dislodging accumulations from the trough, and a nozzle on the open end of the head for flushing away the accumulations dislodged by said scraping member, said scraping member including a coiled spring having one end affixed to the discharge head and its other end portion free for engagement with the trough.

3. An eaves trough cleaner comprising: an elongated,

vertical tubular handle for the passage of water under pressure, said handle including a reversely bent upper end portion engageable in the trough, a substantially T- shaped, hollow discharge head mounted on the upper end portion of the handle and operable in the trough, a. coiled spring on one end of the head engageable in the trough for dislodging accumulations therein, a spray nozzle on the other end of the discharge head for flushing away the accumulations, and a'leg depending from the head at an intermediate point and slidable on the trough tor rotatably, rockably and slidably supporting the head thereon in spaced relation thereto.

4. An eaves trough cleaner comprising: an elongated, vertical tubular handle for the passage of water under pressure, said handle including a substantially reversely bent upper end portion engageable in the trough, a hol low, substantially T-shaped discharge head mounted on the upper end of the handle and operable in the trough, said head including a closed end and an open end, a coiled spring on the head having one end secured tothe closed end portion thereof, the other end portion of said coiled spring being free and engageable in the trough for dislodging accumulations therein, a spray nozzle threadedly mounted for rotary adjustment on the open end of the head for flushing away accumulations dislodged by said spring, and a supporting leg depending from the head at an intermediate point and engageable with the bottom of the trough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,949,904 Guedel Mar. 6, '1934 2,246,640 Shurhay June 24, 1941 2,607,622 Doepke Aug. 19, 1952 2,623,234 Brown Dec. 30, 1952 2,710,616 Tydings June 14, 1955 2,731,300 Jansen Jan. 17, 1956 2,817,867 Bugbird Dec. 31, 1957 

